Preview — Pieces of Someday
by Jan Vallone

Pieces of Someday

At the age of forty-four, Jan Vallone is everything her Italian American parents brought her up to be—a lawyer, wife and mother who owns a vintage home and takes European vacations. But instead of feeling happy and successful, she's consumed by frustration and anxiety that threaten to shatter her marriage and have dimmed her faith. Discarding prosperity and prestige, she tAt the age of forty-four, Jan Vallone is everything her Italian American parents brought her up to be—a lawyer, wife and mother who owns a vintage home and takes European vacations. But instead of feeling happy and successful, she's consumed by frustration and anxiety that threaten to shatter her marriage and have dimmed her faith. Discarding prosperity and prestige, she takes a job teaching English at a yeshiva—an Orthodox Jewish high school—though she was raised Catholic. There, she opens her heart to her students, who bloom under her tutelage and teach her the meaning of faith and fulfillment. Set in New York, Seattle and Italy, Pieces of Someday portrays how one woman fuses the facets of her life—family, career, ethnicity, spirituality and dreams—into a cohesive picture as luminous as stained glass....more

Community Reviews

"The minute you read something that you can't understand, you can almost be sure it was drawn up by a lawyer."

That being said, I feel it is a pretty accurate description of how I felt about this book. Don't misunderstand me, I am far from illiterate, and I could fully understand the words on the pages and the sentences they formed. What I couldn't understand is why reading a memoir felt like reading a text book. Having taken a clasI'd like to start my review with this quote from the book itself:

"The minute you read something that you can't understand, you can almost be sure it was drawn up by a lawyer."

That being said, I feel it is a pretty accurate description of how I felt about this book. Don't misunderstand me, I am far from illiterate, and I could fully understand the words on the pages and the sentences they formed. What I couldn't understand is why reading a memoir felt like reading a text book. Having taken a class on the art of memoir writing, and having read a few memoirs by Holocaust survivors, there is one thing I have learned a memoir should contain. There should always always be a certain degree of humor, or it ceases to be a memoir and is much closer to being an autobiography.

While the story itself was interesting, it lacked the heart and humor that would have made the story so much more than mere words on pages. I can understand the courage it has taken to write about the most personal parts of one’s life, however, life is not a dry event. In the midst of adversity, difficulties, and life changes, there is always something to smile about, and I just felt this memoir was so solely focused on the aspects of life that are disheartening that the true meaning of life, enjoying the little things, was lost in the midst.

One last less than stellar remark I need to make about this memoir is it seemed to me that on occasion the author lost her voice, and relied too heavily on attempting to string whirls of adjectives together in an effort to make abstract sentences.

However, there were also a few things I enjoyed reading throughout this,the first being her comparison of buying her home to Miracle on 34th Street. That was actually my favorite part of the memoir, as it accurately was able to show the difference between pure joy and true and utter disappointment.

My second favorite scene took place in the early morning hours at the fountain in Rome, because the description of how a place that seemed so magical at night, but seemed to lose it's magic in the wee morning hours, was so vivid and well written.

It is also truly obvious after reading that as a teacher, she sincerely cares about her students.

Keeping in mind that this was a debut work, it was just ok for me, but I believe if the author makes an effort to show life's funny side, and puts a little more of her heart into her future works, she would be ranked among successful writers....more

Pieces of Someday, the memoir of Jan Vallone, tells the story of an Italian-American woman who, after decades of striving to fulfill the wishes of her parents, comes to realize that she hasn’t yet discovered her true self.

So, at age 44, Jan leaves her law practice to teach English in a yeshiva high school — perhaps a curious career move for a Catholic lawyer, but there’s no doubt that for Jan, a whole new journey had begun. Jan’s search to balance her career and family with her own individual puPieces of Someday, the memoir of Jan Vallone, tells the story of an Italian-American woman who, after decades of striving to fulfill the wishes of her parents, comes to realize that she hasn’t yet discovered her true self.

So, at age 44, Jan leaves her law practice to teach English in a yeshiva high school — perhaps a curious career move for a Catholic lawyer, but there’s no doubt that for Jan, a whole new journey had begun. Jan’s search to balance her career and family with her own individual pursuit of happiness has been a lifelong struggle, but once she begins following her heart, good things follow.

The book takes us through Jan’s life in New York, Seattle, and various trips to Italy — and she never skims over the difficult parts, namely a strained relationship with her father, marital problems, infertility, and struggles with her own faith. Instead, Jan carries us with her through her conflicting emotions and values, often with a sense of dry humor that I found entirely relatable.

Jan’s word selection is superb and her rich descriptions pick up the reader and gently drop her into each scene. One of my favorites is toward the end of the book when Jan and her family go to Sicily to see the remembrance of her grandmother that, as family legend had it, her grandfather had erected back in their small village of Castelvetrano:

I give Pieces of Someday four espresso cups out of five and recommend it to anyone who has struggled with balancing what is expected of you with what you truly want — and also to those who simply enjoy good, descriptive writing....more

I will admit right off that I had a very personal connection with this post. I could relate to so much of what Vallone wrote about--being stuck in the wrong career, trying to find your calling, dealing with family of origin issues, and--yes--the gray dreariness of the Pacific Northwest. When a reader encounters a book that makes such a connection, it is hard not to love it.

But what about a reader who doesn't have the same connection? IsOh, Jan Vallone--you had me at Seasonal Affective Disorder!

I will admit right off that I had a very personal connection with this post. I could relate to so much of what Vallone wrote about--being stuck in the wrong career, trying to find your calling, dealing with family of origin issues, and--yes--the gray dreariness of the Pacific Northwest. When a reader encounters a book that makes such a connection, it is hard not to love it.

But what about a reader who doesn't have the same connection? Is this still a book they might want to read? I would say yes. Vallone's prose is just beautiful. Her chapters read more like essays and were not always in chronological order, which I quite liked. I think that structure really added a nice dimension to the book.

This book deals with spirituality--Vallone is Catholic and begins teaching at a yeshiva--but it isn't overpowering and definitely falls more in line with spirituality than religion. Each "part" begins with two excerpts--one from the Bible and one from the Torah, which sets the theme for the following chapters. However, Vallone never comes across as preachy in any way.

Pieces of Someday is a book that I will not soon forget and, even if you are comfortable in your vocation and have no interest in spiritual biographies, I think anyone would find this to be a worthwhile book.

I received an electronic copy of the this book in return for an honest review. I received no other compensation for this post....more

Pieces of SomedayOne Woman's Search for Meaning in Lawyering, Family, Italy, Church, and a Tiny Jewish High SchoolJan ValloneCopyright 2013

In Pieces of Some Jan Vallone shares what it was like growing up with a perfectionist Father. We learn of Jan's desire to please her Father by trying yo follow the path he choose for her, but also she shows us how unsatisfied that makes her feel. It tells of how she spent years not feeling satisfied in her career as an attorney until she realizes what she rPieces of SomedayOne Woman's Search for Meaning in Lawyering, Family, Italy, Church, and a Tiny Jewish High SchoolJan ValloneCopyright 2013

In Pieces of Some Jan Vallone shares what it was like growing up with a perfectionist Father. We learn of Jan's desire to please her Father by trying yo follow the path he choose for her, but also she shows us how unsatisfied that makes her feel. It tells of how she spent years not feeling satisfied in her career as an attorney until she realizes what she really desires is to be an English Teacher. She loved reading and did some writing growing up. After her daughter struggles through school though she begins to realize her desire to be a teacher.

Becoming a teacher seemed to be a natural progression for her perhaps it was because her Mother wss a teacher but it was also something deeper than that.

We learn to of how she and her husband Mark adopt two kids after she is unable to get pregnant first Cristin then Sean.

Jan shares about how out of place she felt sometimes growing up in a mostly Jewish neighborhood and going to a school that was mostly Jewish despite being Italian Catholic but she would later come to teach in a Jewish High School.

I give this book five out of five stars for its candid honesty and its in depth look at one womans struggle to find who she is....more

This was a memoir made up of more questions than answers, more seeking than finding, more wondering than storytelling. I appreciated the author's humility in openly baring her worries and fears and abundant questions about her own life experiences and those of her family members. Vallone writes with elegance and beauty, much more poetically than I would have expected from someone with a background in law! While I was somewhat confused by the bouncing-around nature of the book's chronology, I undThis was a memoir made up of more questions than answers, more seeking than finding, more wondering than storytelling. I appreciated the author's humility in openly baring her worries and fears and abundant questions about her own life experiences and those of her family members. Vallone writes with elegance and beauty, much more poetically than I would have expected from someone with a background in law! While I was somewhat confused by the bouncing-around nature of the book's chronology, I understood the impact the author was intending with this type of set-up. Personally, I needed to do some shuffling back and forth at times to get reestablished when the time shifted significantly from one chapter to the next, but in the end, I feel that I had gotten all the puzzle pieces in place....more

I think having met Jan makes this memoir even more delightful than it would have been otherwise. I already wanted to know more of her story before I picked up the book. That being said, I was profoundly moved in places. The description of her high school students was particularly vibrant. She did a great job of highlighting the simultaneous pleasure and pain of opening your heart to adolescents on a daily basis. And I finished this book wanting to know still more. Whether she tells more of her sI think having met Jan makes this memoir even more delightful than it would have been otherwise. I already wanted to know more of her story before I picked up the book. That being said, I was profoundly moved in places. The description of her high school students was particularly vibrant. She did a great job of highlighting the simultaneous pleasure and pain of opening your heart to adolescents on a daily basis. And I finished this book wanting to know still more. Whether she tells more of her story or creates a fictional cast of characters, I want to read her next book. Her voice weaves deep insights into pithy descriptions and the occasional Springsteen lyric....more

Pieces of Someday is a beautifully-written account of fathers and daughters, teachers and students, successes and failures—the wonderful offspring of what Vallone calls her ‘dominant ponder gene.’ Holding up a defiant hand against the cynicism that has come to mark so much of America’s story, she insists that the greatest success may be measured, not in the things we accumulate, but in the lives we touch.

The negative tone of this book makes it a painful reading. Jan dislikes or hates every thing in her life except for being in Rome.Too much religious text, whether it fits in with the flow of the story or not. Jan Vallone teaches English writing in a Jewish school but her own writing is so poor. Has no flow at all.

Beautiful imagery and language in this well-told memoir of a woman trying to find herself. She struggles with marriage, career, infertility, parents, life. It's a woman's tale. I don't know what else to say. Read it.

Born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, Jan Vallone is the granddaughter of Sicilian immigrants. An insatiable life-long learner, she holds a law degree from New York University School of Law, a Masters in Teaching from Seattle Pacific University and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Goddard College. She has also done graduate work at the Bread Loaf School of English at MiddleburyBorn in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, Jan Vallone is the granddaughter of Sicilian immigrants. An insatiable life-long learner, she holds a law degree from New York University School of Law, a Masters in Teaching from Seattle Pacific University and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Goddard College. She has also done graduate work at the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. After practicing law for eighteen years in Manhattan and in Seattle, Jan became an English teacher at a yeshiva high school. There, she and her students founded a literary journal rated excellent by The National Council of Teachers of English. Currently, Jan teaches literature and writing at a Pacific Northwest university. Her stories have appeared in Guideposts Magazine, English Journal, Writing It Real and Curriculum in Context. Pieces of Someday, a memoir, is her first full-length book. When Jan is not writing, reading or teaching, she enjoys gardening, Italian language study, traveling and spending time with her husband, children and friends....more

“Life, it now seems, is a stained glass window composed of bits of translucence and opacity—fragments of yesterday, chips of today, pieces of someday, soldered with time. Some jewel-like and whole. Some fractured by the weather. Others fallen from their leaden frames. Only fusion and repair complete the image and allow us to make out the picture. Am I a scale, a harp, a star? A candle, anchor or heart?